Morsel for Live: the Launchkey Mini MK4 in Live 12

A control surface script that makes the Launchkey work in Ableton Live the way it does in Morsel: the same pad modes, encoder pages and screen, with Live's tracks, clips, Drum Racks and browser underneath. Free, and it works with Live 12 Lite, which comes with the Launchkey.

Download for Live How to install

What it does on the Launchkey

Four pad modes

Func steps through them. Play plays the selected track (a Drum Rack's pads in their colours, or notes), with note repeat on Scene. Step puts the clip's 16 steps on the pads. Track selects, mutes and solos tracks 1–8. Clips launches Live's session clips and scenes from the pads.

Step sequencing

Tap steps on and off; hold one and turn the encoders for its velocity, nudge and length. Bars, the grid (down to 1/32 and triplets), double, quantize and the velocity of new steps are on the Step page.

Encoder pages

The selected pad's Simpler, each device's best eight parameters, the track's volume, pan and sends, an FX page that adds Live's own filter, EQ, saturator and compressor as you turn, sidechain ducking from the kick, the clip's groove, the mix of tracks 1–8, the tempo and the song position.

The screen

Track, scene and transport always in the header, and the page's eight values below. Holding Shift shows what every button does with it. Live's browser opens on the screen too: scroll, open folders and load kits and samples without the mouse.

Chop a sample onto a Drum Rack

Pick a loop or a break in the browser, and it goes into a Simpler, cut into 16 chops you play from the pads and keys. Trim the region, fit it to the tempo, move and split the chops on the screen, choose which go on which pad, and Live's Slice to Drum Rack makes the drum track.

And Live's own Launchkey features

Clip launching, scale sync with Live 12's song scale, capture MIDI, the metronome and transport. On a drum track the keybed plays the pads.

How to install

  1. Download it, unzip it and put the Morsel folder into Remote Scripts in Live's User Library (make the folder if it isn't there): Mac~/Music/Ableton/User Library/Remote Scripts WindowsDocuments\Ableton\User Library\Remote Scripts
  2. Restart Live.
  3. In Settings → Link, Tempo & MIDI, remove the Launchkey Mini MK4 control surface and add Morsel, with Input Launchkey Mini MK4 25 (DAW Out) and Output Launchkey Mini MK4 25 (DAW In) (on a full-size MK4, Launchkey MK4 49 (DAW Out) and so on).
  4. Under the ports, set the DAW Out input to Track and Remote on, and keep Track on for MIDI Out.

Questions

Which Live does it need?

Live 12, Lite included (the Launchkey comes with it), on a Mac or Windows. It works on its own: you don't need the browser app for it.

Does it replace Live's own Launchkey script?

On the Launchkey, yes: you pick Morsel as its control surface instead. It keeps what Live's script does best (clip launching, scale sync, device banks, the transport) and adds Morsel's modes and screens. Switch back in Live's settings whenever you like.

How is it different from Morsel in the browser?

Live does the sound, the tracks and the clips: patterns are Live's scenes, undo is Live's undo, and the sounds are Live's devices. Morsel's own synths (Bento, Umami, Ramen) and its mixer are in the browser version, which needs no DAW.

Can I use it and the browser version at the same time?

Not on the same Launchkey: only one of them can have its DAW mode. Close Live before you open Morsel in the browser.

Does it work with the full-size Launchkey MK4?

It should: the script asks the Launchkey which model it is. It's untested on the 37 to 61 key models, so tell me how it goes at hello@morselbox.com.

What does it cost?

Nothing. No ads, no account, and the music you make is yours.

Get the Launchkey into Live

Download the script, put it in Remote Scripts and pick Morsel in Live's settings.

Download for Live Morsel in the browser